Month: November 2017

This week is bound to be super busy and possibly stressful, especially those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving. With increased levels of stress come increased rates of cold and flu. If you’re traveling by airplane, consider your risk even higher (one study published in the Wall Street Journal showed a 20% increased risk). And if you’re visiting family and there are many of you staying in the same house, usually someone ends up sharing germs, too. So how do we navigate the holiday season without succumbing to feeling miserable? One thing we can do is make sure we are feeding ourselves with nourishing and immune boosting foods. Foods high in Vitamin C pack an antioxidant punch, which helps lower your risk of getting sick. Vitamin C also helps regenerate other antioxidants in your body. Fiber is another important nutrient, as it helps lower inflammation. And yogurt, which is a probiotic rich food, helps keep our gut flora in check. Because about 80% of our immune system resides in our guts, we want to make sure it’s always balanced and healthy.

For the past week I’ve been having a green smoothie every day for breakfast. It starts my day off on the right foot and by the time I’m finished drinking it I’ve already had at least three servings of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables. This helps keep me healthy and sets me up for wanting to continue eating healthy throughout the day. Since I know I’ll be enjoying a lot of my favorite foods at Thanksgiving, this is a good way to ensure I’m getting proper nutrition leading up to the long weekend.

Try this Vitamin C smoothie and let me know what you think. Feel free to customize it for your own needs (swap out spinach for kale, for instance).

Share this:

Like this:

The holidays are nearing and you might be wondering what to put on your wish list or what to buy for the people in your life. I’m no Oprah, but I do have some opinions on the things I love using in my daily life (hint: you won’t find any $600 coffee makers on my list.) Read on for some of the things I would rather not live without!

Sockwell compression socks. I’ve been doing a lot of running lately, training for my first 10k. If I run anything over 3 miles my legs ache and I have trouble falling asleep. I bought myself a pair of Sockwells and wore them after my last 4 mile run. No achey legs! $21.95 – $24.99.

Aaptiv personal training app. I wrote about this last year, too. If it weren’t for this app, I would not be training for a 10k right now. Having a personal trainer in my ear (with dozens to choose from) keeps me motivated. I learn proper form and other essential information, and the music the workouts are set to is music you actually want to listen to! From cycling to yoga to running to elliptical and everything in between, you can’t go wrong with Aaptiv. I love it so much I actually became an ambassador. Try it for free by clicking the link above. $8.33-9.99/month depending on subscription plan.

Ugg Amie. I love the newer slimmer fit Uggs and I love that they have a bit of a heel. I have had the same pair of Uggs for over 10 years now and still love them dearly. I felt like maybe I was allowed to buy a new pair with a more modern fit since I’ve worn my other ones nearly to death. So, I keep the old ones for walking the dog. Prices vary based on style and color.

Gut Shots by Farmhouse Culture. I always thought I was weird because I grew up drinking pickle juice out of a glass. I guess there are enough weird people out there that Farmhouse Culture created a healthy drink on the idea. I am a huge fan of the garlic dill pickle flavor with the smoked jalapeño coming in a close second. These probiotic “shots” are full of good stuff to make your belly happy. Around $4.99 at Whole Foods

Rosebud Salve by C.O. Bigelow. I’ve been using this lip balm for ages, and I have three or four scattered around the house and in my purse at any given moment. I love the old fashioned tin and that I can use it anywhere (lips, cuticles, dry spots). Around $8 on Amazon.

Hamilton Beach Set It And Forget It Slow Cooker. At this very moment, I have chicken stock bubbling on its 21st hour in this slow cooker (remember the whole chicken I baked last night? I threw the carcass and juices in the slow cooker with water and will use the stock to make chicken soup tonight). I use this slow cooker for making stocks, roasts, soups, whole chickens, etc etc etc. I know the Instant Pot is the kitchen appliance du jour, and it’s actually on my Christmas list this year, but I will always love my slow cooker. It’s programmable and I really like the thermometer feature as well. At around $49, this is a must-have for any kitchen in my very humble opinion.

Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino cherries. I’m not ashamed to admit I really love a cocktail cherry. Always have, always will. I found this brand at Whole Foods and have never gone back to the neon red cherries from my youth. Yes, they are more expensive. But they also contain no artificial flavors or dyes. I use them in my cocktails and in my holiday baking. Not only are they better for you, they taste amazing. About $14

Like this:

Last week it was our turn to host Crappy Dinner Party, so we pulled out a bone-in ham from our deep freezer to smoke in my husband’s smoker. We were worried the ham might be dry but it was ridiculously good. Since we had some leftovers, we put the bone and the leftovers back in the freezer for another time.

Fast forward one week, and I was craving soup. I checked out my pantry and saw that I had green lentils, potatoes, and onions. In my fridge I had carrots and celery and Better Than Bouillon. I knew I had what I needed to make something really yummy. After reading several recipes and adjusting for what I had, here is the recipe that I created.

In a dutch oven or soup pot, place the soup bone, if you are using, and 12 cups of water (if using Better Than Bouillon) or stock and heat until boiling. Lower heat to simmer for at least an hour (I left mine on for several hours). Using a slotted spoon, remove the soup bone. If you are not using a soup bone, skip ahead to sautéing your vegetables. Add a few tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon if you aren’t using stock. In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes minutes. To the pot of stock, stir in lentils and softened vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer at least 10 minutes.

Finally, stir in potatoes and ham and simmer covered until potatoes are softened, at least 10 minutes. This soup can stay on simmer for a long time before serving.

Like this:

We’re in it, people. It’s cold and flu season and everywhere you go someone has a cough, the sniffles, a sore throat, or worse. How do we keep ourselves healthy and energetic all season long? One approach is through our food choices. Excess sugar, processed carbs and too much alcohol will suppress our body’s ability to fight off infection (which is a shame because aren’t the holidays MOSTLY ABOUT SUGAR, CARBS AND COCKTAILS?!?!). I’m not advocating giving up your favorite holiday treats, because part of what keeps us healthy is not being stressed out. Also spending time enjoying ourselves with people we love is pretty high up on the list for immune-boosting activities, and if we are hyper focused on every little thing we put in our mouths, we will ruin it for ourselves and those around us.

However, what I would like to encourage is making the majority of your food choices healthy ones. So, when you are cooking/eating at home, which should be most of the time, make those meals impactful. Start every day with a healthy breakfast because it helps keep the rest of the day on track (click here, here, here or here for great breakfast choices). For lunch, choose something like a big salad with good quality proteins like chicken and chickpeas, and choose olive oil and vinegar dressing. Or, make a huge batch of soup on Sunday and eat it all week long. I love the hearty lentil soup I make all winter.

You want high quality protein, you want good sources of fiber and fat (the good kind, like olive oil, those found in nuts, coconut oil, and organic and grass fed meats). And pile on the vegetables and fruits. The more antioxidants you eat the better. They will reduce inflammation which will help fight off cold and flu bugs. They also contain natural antiviral and antibacterial agents.

Check out this recipe for Carrot Ginger Turmeric soup. Carrots are very high in vitamin A which is essential for a healthy immune system. Ginger and turmeric contain powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. It’s warming and soothing for the coldest days and will keep you nourished.

Stay tuned for more immune boosting recipes and information!

*If you don’t like coconut oil or are allergic, feel free to sub with olive oil.